Moment thug drove motorbike into shops

Cameras have captured a notorious thug riding his motorbike through a suburban shopping centre, narrowly missing terrified shoppers.

Murat Shomshe became known as the “runaway groom” when he skipped town after being granted bail to get married.

Cameras have captured the moment a notorious thug rode a motorbike through a suburban Melbourne shopping centre, narrowly missing shocked shoppers.

Murat Shomshe – who became known as “the runaway groom” when he skipped town after he was bailed to get married – was caught zooming up an entrance ramp and past retail outlets at Bulleen Plaza about 10am on May 12.

Centre management was forced to quickly intervene in an attempt to avoid a tragedy and directed Shomshe to leave.

The disqualified rider did not put up a fight, turned his yellow and black Suzuki around and exited the Manningham Rd shops.

The bizarre incident left retailers and shoppers rattled and was reported to police.

One staff member told investigators the rider “looked wide-eyed and appeared to be affected by some sort of substance”.

“He fumbled when I asked him why he was here,” she said in her statement.

“He couldn’t give me an answer as to why he was riding through the plaza, so I asked him to leave.

“The male didn’t fight me about asking him to leave.”

Murat Shomshe rode his Suzuki motorbike through Bulleen Plaza shopping centre on May 12, 2022. Picture: VicPol

Detectives were able to identify the bandit from his distinctive leg tattoos. Picture: VicPol

Despite his face being covered by his helmet, keen-eyed detectives were able to identify the bandit from his distinctive leg tattoos, as seen in the footage.

Four days later, Shomshe, 40, from Donvale, was arrested.

Fronting Heidelberg Magistrates Court this month, the father of two pleaded guilty to reckless conduct endangering serious injury, driving while disqualified, committing an indictable offence on bail and contravening a bail condition prohibiting him from driving a vehicle.

Defence lawyer Theo Magazis said his client’s actions to enter the shopping centre were “not as a result of a conscious or deliberate decision by him”.

“He stopped the motorbike to get off it and walk into the plaza, essentially where the pedestrian zebra crossing was,” Mr Magazis said.

“He was then told he couldn’t leave his motorbike there, jumped on his motorbike and quite clearly wasn’t himself.

“He must have been affected by some substances, and moved the bike to slowly go up the ramp in terms of trying to exit.”

Shomshe was on bail at the time of the incident. Picture: VicPol

Shomshe narrowly avoided shoppers during the bizarre antics. Picture: VicPol

The incident left retailers and shoppers rattled. Picture: VicPol

Mr Magazis said there was no speed involved and that his client was not driving erratically.

“But having said that, it is conceded that had he come across or hit anybody on the ramp, even at a speed that wasn’t of any great speed, it had the potential to cause some serious injury,” Mr Magazis said.

His actions took place while he was on bail, and also undergoing a Community Correction Order, for other offending.

The court heard he had an extensive 15-page criminal history, including an incident in 2020 where he stole a $300K Porsche and led police on a wild chase, reaching speeds of up to 230km/h.

The high-speed pursuit happened when he was on a CCO for shooting at a woman’s car over a minor debt dispute in 2014.

It was while he was in custody for the shooting that he was granted bail to marry his fiancee so they didn’t lose their $6000 wedding deposit.

But once freed he did a runner while his wife-to-be was in the shower, leading to a widescale search and his arrest.

For his motorbike antics, Shomshe was sentenced to the 91 days of time he had already served on remand.